Genre: Traditional Fairy Tale (Retelling)
Subject: A retelling of the Cinderella story made modern
In a world of fairy tales told and retold, this book stands out near the top. Levine does a great job of taking the Cinderella story, paring it down to the bare bones, and then fleshing it out again with new characters and experiences. The notion of what a princess should be is challenged by Ella as the main character. The story follows traditional lines in an untraditional way, and does so very successfully. Because this story has also been turned into a motion picture, I have to say, read the book and leave the movie on the shelf. The movie completely misses the point of what the book is about. This would be a good read for older children or young adults looking at how the traditional stories can be remade well.
